Title:- The Socio-cultural Impacts of Cross-CountryEconomic Migration upon Rural households of Origin:The Cases of the Hadiya Young Migrants to the RSA from WasgabataKebele, (SNNPRS)

FINAL RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO:-

DILLA UNIVERSITY, RESEARCH and DESSIMINATION OFFICE

PREPARED BY:

Tadesse Tessema Ayele (MA-social anthropology)

(Lecturers in the School of Social Science and Humanities -Program of anthropology)

Dilla University

1

JULY, 2013

Table of Content

Chapter one Page

1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….1

1.1 Background of the study…………………………………………………………….1

1.2 Statement of the problem…………………………………………………………….3

1.3 Objective of the study……………………………………………………………….5

1.3.1 Main objective of the study……………………………………………………..5

1.3.2 Specific objectives of the study…………………………………………………6

1.4 Research questions……………………………………………………………………6

1.5 Significant of the study……………………………………………………………….6

1.6 Limitations and delimitations of the study……………………………………………7

1.6.1 Limitation of the study…………………………………………………………..7

1.6.2 Delimitation of the study………………………………………………………...7

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Chapter Two

2. Background of the Study Area and Study Process………………………………………8

2.1 Background of the Study………………………………………………………………6

2.1:1 The Land……………………………………………………………………………..8

2.1:2 Occupation………………………………………………………………………….. 9

2:1:3 The language…………………………………………………………………………9

2:1:4 Demographic Characteristics ……………………………………………………......9

2:1:5 The Study Woreda and Kebele………………………………………………………10

2:2 Methodology and the Research Process ……………………………………………….11

2:2:1 Methodology………………………………………………………………………....11

2:2:2 Methods of Data Gathering…………………………………………………………13

2:2:2:1 Interview………………………………………………………………………….13

2:2:2:2 Focus Group Discussion (FGD)………………………………………………….14

2:2:2:3 Observation……………………………………………………………………….14

2:2:2:4 Secondary Sources………………………………………………………………..15

2:2:3 Methods of Data Analysis and Presentation………………………………………..15

Chapter Three

3. Review of the Related Literatures……………………………………………………….. 17

3.1 Basic Concepts of the Study…………………………………………………………. 17

3.2 Factors of International Migration…………………………………………………….18

3:2:1 Pushing Factors of Migration……………………………………………………….18

3

3:2:2 Pulling Factors of Migration………………………………………………………...19

3:3 Impacts of Migration and Remittances on the Rural Societyof Origin……………….20

Chapter Four

4. Result and Discussion……………………………………………………………………..23

4:1 Why the Outmigration of Hadiya Young to the RSA? ……………………………….23

4:1:1 Pushing Factors ……………………………………………………………………..23

4:1:2 Pulling Factors……………………………………………………………………….25

4:2 Socio-Cultural Impacts of Migration on the Society of Origin…………………………27

4;2:1 Education and Training………………………………………………………………27

4:2:2 Health…………………………………………………………………………………28

4:2:3 Social Prganization…………………………………………………………………….29

4:3 The Economic impacts of Outmigration on the Society of Origin………………………30

4:3:1 The Economic Effects of Remittances at the Migrant’s Households…………………..31

4:3:2 Challenges of the Non-migrant’s Households………………………………………….32

4:4 Misfortunes of Migrants to RSA………………………………………………………….33

4:4:1 Human Causalities of the Human trafficking…………………………………………..33

4:4:2 Unsuccessful Migration and its Impacts at Home……………………………………..34

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Chapter Five

5 Conclusion and Recommendation…………………………………………………….............36

5:1 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………...36

5:2 Recommendation…………………………………………………………………………….38

References………………………………………………………………………………………. I

Appendix I……………………………………………………………………………………….II

Appendix II………………………………………………………………………………………III

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CHAPTER I

I: INTRODUCTION

1:1 Background of the Study

Migration is movement of people, especially in groups, from one

place, region or country to another, particularly with the

intention of making permanent settlement in a new location.

Humans have migrated since they evolved in the east Africa 6 to 2

million years of age. Their original differentiation in to ethnic

groups appears to have been a result of the isolated development

of separate groups of people who migrated from the central points

of origins.

In more recent time the migratory movement of people has led to

accelerated mixing and transmission of cultural and social

characteristics. The diffusion of culture, including tools,

habits, ideas and forms of social organization, was prerequisite

for the development of modern civilization.

The rise of globalization since the late 20th century has changed

the concept of migration. Advances in transportation and

communication have made it easier for people to migrate to work

in another country and support their families in their home

country by sending their earnings. In most cases this economic

migration is done informally or illegally. These migrants are

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suffering from problems of citizenship because they are residents

(and members of the labour force) of one country, but are

citizens (and sources of capital) of another. (Martin P. 2008).

In 20th century migration is increased on alarming rate because

of persistent demographic and economic inequality and because of

many other social and cultural reasons. Statistics from IOM

indicates that the total number of international migrants has

increased over the last ten years from an estimated 150 million

in 2000 to 214 million in 2010. (IOM 2011) Also it is difficult

to obtain completely reliable figures related to illegal

migration; all indications assert that it is on the rise. A rough

estimate of the share of illegal migration in the world migrant

figure places it at 15 to 20 percent of the total i.e. 35 to 45

millions. (Ibid)

In the year 2005 the World Bank estimated that the number of

economic migrants from the sub-Saharan Africa was 15.9 million

which is increased to 24.7 million in 2010 and 63.3 percent of

this total have moved to countries with in the continent. (World

Bank 2011). Ethiopia, as one of the sub-Sahara country, also

share the lion share from this figure where the most cases of

migrants associated with illegal and informal migration routes

especially to the Middle East countries, the republic of south

Africa, Libya, and some other African countries. Because of some

economic and social factors most migrants are from the poor

household who considered migration as livelihood strategy. Then

it is obvious that this poor people are paying dying in deserts,

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drowning in sea, passing in prisons and jungles to run out the

yoke of poverty.

Traditionally the richest country in Africa, South Africa is the

major destination for migrants from the sub-Saharan Africa

countries. Millions migrants were recruited to work in South

African mines. When apartheid ended in 1994, the new government

discouraged this recruitment of foreign miners. However, few

black South Africans wanted to move to remote areas and work in

the mines and even in small businesses after liberation. (Hugo

19980. Such lack of willingness of the vast majority of Africans

in South Africa had made a gap on the supply and demands of the

working force which in turn attracted the outmigration of illegal

migrants from the Sub-Saharan African countries of which Ethiopia

is the one. The new black-majority government of the South Africa

was reluctant to deport illegal migrants who arrived from other

African countries that had sheltered and supported during its

anti-apartheid struggle. In between 1994 to 2010 at least 5

million migrants arrived there from different African countries.

However, when unemployment among the South African increased,

attacks on illegal immigrants become reality in cities and

opinion polls suggested that one out of the three South African

wanted immigration stopped and immigrants pull-out. (Taylor

2011). Based on this discussion there are two challenges of these

migrants to the South Africa. On the one hand, the critical

dangers of the road to the destination due to the illegal

mobility made through smugglers that might end with deaths,

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imprisonment, physical injury and/or returning home without

success after investing huge resources of the families at home.

On the other hand the attacks and discriminations in the destiny.

The flow of Ethiopian to RSA became noticeable beginning in 1991

after the government of Mengistu fell. In the early 1990’s in

RSA, the changing in the government and end of the apartheid

increased its appeal. And up to a million Ethiopians are

estimated to have left the country during the 1990’s who had made

the Ethiopian diasporas.The Ethiopian embassy estimated that

approximately 45,000 to 50,000 of their countrymen make their

home in RSA. These numbers are increasing every week due to the

influx of new arrivals, primarily from large-scale, successful

smuggling operations from Ethiopia. (IOM-2009)

In the Hadiya society, outmigration to the South Africa is a

recent phenomena that appeared in the last ten years which was

intensified with the rapid rise to extent that had made extensive

changes on the over all aspects of the society of origin.

According to the office of the population studies of the Hadiya

zone, currently about 30,000 immigrants from the zone alone are

estimated in the South African different cities, of which only

less than 1.7 percent are legal immigrants, the 89 percent are

migrants from rural areas of the zone, 11 percent are females

while the rest are male migrants and the average age distribution

is between 17 to 35 years of age. (Hadiya Z.P.S.O 2011). From

this it easy to deduce that large proportions of the young

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members, who are able to work, of the rural Hadiya households are

migrated, which can makes possible other outmigration for

potential migrants in the origin. And also due to the remittance

flows from this huge number of migrants, the out flow of the

young generation from within and the cultural contacts made

between the two African societies really can create changes and

has impacts on the sociocultural system of the society of origin.

This study, therefore, intended to study and investigate what

impacts and changes are there due to outmigration of the young

Hadiya migrants on the rural households of both migrant and non-

migrant families in respect to the socio-cultural system of the

society. The research was conducted in the Wasgebeta Kebele of

the Misha woreda from which 45 households send one or more

migrants to the destination.

1:2 Statement of the Problem

Society and culture form a complex system of interacting whole

which constitutes sociocultural system. Socio-cultural system is

a universal attribute of all cultures and societies that consists

the people, their means of subsistence, social and political

stratifications, the language, social values and norms, religions

and economies of a given society. Since the dynamic nature of the

two components of the system, socio-cultural system is always

under perpetual flux and change when the society made contact

with other society and when innovations introduced through time

and space. (Keesing R.M1976). Thus, this research had been

10

conducted to investigate the changes on the socio-cultural

reality of the Hadiya society due to the impacts of the current

outmigration of young from the rural households in the case of

the Wasgebeta kebele in Misha woreda.

Migration is significantly reshaping the traditional social

economic and cultural structures of rural communities, in both

positive and negative ways. Livelihood and socio-cultural changes

are intimately connected with migration. The works of the rural

families are no longer confined to the farming activity and

livelihoods are increasingly being diversified through rural-

urban and international migrations. Globalization and migration

are rapidly transforming the traditional spheres of human

activities. (Hugo 1998).

Millions of people live outside their countries of origin and

they send billion dollars to their country of birth. Formal

remittances to the developing countries doubled from years to

years. The 2006 World Bank report showed that the total 208

billion dollar has reached to 440 billion in the year 2010. This

huge amount of money has diversified importance at home that it

speeds up development, reduces poverty, and improves the life of

the migrants’ families and more other benefits. (Ibid) However this

research is intends to investigate that, while remittances are benefiting the immigrants’

family are they do not creating burdens on those families with out immigrant

members?

11

Despite these common perceptions about the roles of remittances,

studies on the effects of migration and remittances are made with

different scholars. It is possible to distinguish tow contrasting

and conflicting views concerning the assumed benefits and

shortcomings of migration on the households of the origin. One

view considers those overall impacts of migration and remittances

on migrant sending rural areas is negative and it recommends

designing policies to promote rural developments in order to

limit the outmigration. Supporters of this view insist on the

negative effects of labour loss in sending rural areas and in its

disruptive impacts on the economy and market of the origin, which

may cause challenges on non migrant poor households (Adams 2006).

The second view considered that migration can have positive

impact on the development at local, regional and national levels.

Supporters of this view considered to be the household strategy

in which economic and social links between migrant and her/his

family are maintained. This view emphasizes the benefits arising

from the transfer of resources to rural areas such as financial

and in-kind remittances as well as generation of new skills and

innovative ideas. (Lucas 2002). Here we can raise a concern about the

possible cultural and social conflicts as result of the imported behaviors and beliefs by

migrants returned.

However, reality tells us that migration and its impacts is

complex. Because, wide range of factors such as , social

contexts, type and extent of migration size of the remittances

and its usages interact and influence the effects of migration on

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the work loss, social and cultural as well as on the market of

goods and services commonly participated both migrant and non-

migrant families in the origin.

Therefore, without inclining to any of these diverging

conceptions, this research attempted to bridge the space in

between the two which investigates both the positive and negative

impacts that migration exerts on the rural households of the

society of origin. Nearly, it is difficult to find relevant

research on the two specific variables as socio-cultural system

and rural non-migrant households in relation to impacts of

outmigration of working forces with specific consideration of the

Hadiya migrants to the Republic of South Africa. The research,

thus attempted to explore the problem on the sample area

Wasgebeta kebele in the Hadiya zone Misha woreda in the SNNPRS

where the researcher was born and native speaker of the Hadiyissa

(the native language of Hadiya).

1.3. Main Objective of the Study

The main objective of the study is investigate the extent and

level of the impacts migration on the socio-cultural system of

the society in the case of the migration of the young rural

Hadiya to the Republic of South Africa by investigating the

problem in Wasgebeta kebele in the Hadiya zone- SNNPRS (Ethiopia)

The research had been conducted in order to address the following

specific objectives:

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I) Examining the norms and values of the community towards

migration and its effects on cultural and social

organization

II) Assessing change on cultural patterns of the community

due to migration of the young members

III) Exploring the household food usage, management and diet

distribution after migration became the reality

IV) Identifying the root causes of mass migration of the

young and its consequences on the work forces of the

society

V) Investigating both positive and negative impacts of

outmigration both in migrant and non-migrant societies

VI) Compare the changes on the market system before and after

outmigration in the society

1.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Specifically, the research questions are the following:-

I) What are the root causes of outmigration in the

community?

II) What cultural patterns and social responses are developed

towards the effects of migration?

III) How life styles and living conditions are improved or

worsened due to migration of the members of the

community?

IV) What coping mechanisms are there to cope with labour loss

in the society that may occur due to outmigration?

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V) Are there comparative differences and similarities on

handling and sensing the impacts of the outmigration in

migrant and non migrant households?

1:5 Significance of the study

This research work has an intention to bring about dual

contributions of knowledge (academic) and practice (applied)

towards the outmigration on the socio-cultural context of rural

Ethiopia. By investigating the problem on the Ethiopian context

in the Hadiya society, the findings of this study have provided,

at least, the initial basic conceptions about the root causes of

outmigration, its negative and positive effects on the social and

cultural organization of the society of origin. Equally also the

finding will help the concerned government and non-government

bodies by providing information about the problem at the grass-

root level

1.6 Limitation and Delimitation of the Study

Limitations of the study

Because resource constraints and other potential difficulties the

researcher has identified the following possible limitations:

Even the research has envisioned arriving at a very broad

generalization about the impacts of outmigration in the

households of the rural Ethiopia, the sample size, from which its

premises are actually collected, is only from limited households.

However, by the virtue of being social (cultural)

15

anthropologists, the researchers will apply the skill and

perspectives of the discipline to bridge the gap

Since the research attempts to collect reliable data from the

inner part of the cultural thought and behavior of the group

under the study, most of female informants may be resistant to

tall all the truths that they conceive it is taboo to be told to

non natives and conspiracy against their masters. To avoid such

difficulties it needs further observations and triangulation

which in turn needs more resources.

It is also equally important to expect challenges such as

transportation, service accommodation, compiled secondary data

from respective local offices because most of the research areas

are very far and remote rural localities. However, the

researchers will work hard to minimize the effects of all these

and other limitations on the objectivity of it findings

Delimitation of the Study

This research was an attempt to investigate the impacts of the

mass migration in the socio-cultural system of the rural

households in the study area in Wasgebeta kebele in the Hadiya

zone-SNNPRS, by selecting sample households from the study

community.

CHAPTER II

16

2 Background of the study Area and Study Process

2:1. Background of the Study Area

The study was conducted in the Hadiya zone which is found in the

South Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPR)

of Ethiopia owes its name to the name of its inhabitants, the

Hadiya people. ‘ Historically Hadiya was powerful vassal kingdom

of Ethiopia which had marital ties with many of kings that ruled

the vast Ethiopian empire. The earlier known record about the

presence of the Hadiya people dates back to the 13th century AD.

Presently the Hadiya zone is a much smaller territory consisting

of ten Woreds known as Lemo,Mish (of the study area), Gibe,

Gombora, Sorro, Duna, Shshego, Anlemo, East Badawach and west

Badawach. Hossana, which is the capital of the zone, enjoys the

sttus of special administration. (Solomon Mulgeta, 2008)

2:1:1The land

The Hadiya zone is mainly highland area which is located on the

western escarpment of the great Ethiopian rift valley extending

from north-western shore of Lake Shalla in the east to the Omo

river valley in its western most points covering the total area

of 3,978.14 square Km. (ibid). The zone bounded by the Gurage and

Silte zones in the North, The Yem specil woreda and the Oromia

National state in the west, the Kembata Tembaro and Wolayiita

zones in the south the halaba spcial woreda and the Oromia

National state in the east.

17

The greater part of the land comprises high mountains and

undulating hills separated by the tributes of the Gibe River. The

Hadiya zone consists of three main climatic regions namely Degga

(temperate), Woina Dega (Warm temperate) and kola (tropical) with

greater population pressure on the land natural resources.

2:1:2 Occupations

The main occupation of the rural Hadiya people is farming, and

1,783 square kilometer is cultivated land where 85 percent of the

total population (i.e. 2,954,136 with nearly equal proportion of

men and women), are farmers. (CSAE, 2007) But basically the

Hadiya people cultivate a variety of grains and fruits for the

households and local consumption besides the predominant enst

production for domestic consuption . They also depend on the

dairy products. (Bahiru Z. and others 2002)

2:1:3 The language

The Hdiya people speak their own Cushitic Hadiyissa language that

belongs to the eastern highland Cushitic sub-group of the Ethio-

Cushitic family of languages. The language shares some basic

phones, morphemes and syntaxes with other languages within the

same sub-groups such as Sidama, Gedeo, kambata, Mareko and the

like which also known as the sidama languages in eastern highland

Cushitic sub groups. (Bender M.L. 1976)

18

2:1:4 Demographic Characteristics

According to the Central Statistic Authority of Ethiopia (CSAE),

the Hadiya zone has total population of 1,546,846 in July 2007 of

which 769,194 were male and 779,652 were female. The publication

indicated that only 128,536 persons (8.3%0 of the total

population of the zone are urban dwellers while the remaining

proportion goes to the rural population. Accordingly, the

population density of the zone is about 412 persons per square

Km. the same source justify the fact that the Hadiya zone is one

of the area with rapid population growth that by 2006/7 the total

population was 1,231,196, 20011/12 1, 429 .054 and by 2017/18 it

is projected to be 1,711,091. As the result, there is remarkable

disturbance on the population distribution pattern of the zone

where out of the total population the youth became the majority.

Which might contributed for the outmigration of the Young to the

RSA. Because, the rapid growth of the population and the great

proportion of the young generation ,could possibly had number of

impacts on the economic and social development of the society

which leads to the scarcity of both natural and economic

resources.

2:1:5 The Study Woreda and kebele

The Misha Woreda located to North-west of the Hadiya zone.

Approximately between 6.84 X and 7.02 X North and 38.52 X and 73X

East with the area of 39504 KM X. It shares boundaries with the

19

Yem woreda in the Western , Gurage zone in the North, and the

Silte and Lemo woreda to the north east and south respectively.

According to the 2007 population and houses census of Ethiopia,

the Woreda has the total population of 141577, of which 50.1% are

male while 49.9% are female. The great majority of the population

goes to the people in the rural areas. That is 137,697(97.26%)

are rural dwellers and highly dependent on agricultural

production. The Woreda population size expected to be increased

with 8,373 people per each calendar year.

The Woreda has mainly three traditional agro-ecological zones.

Degga (temperate), Woina Dega (Warm temperate) and kola (tropical

(The World FED Office ,2012).

The research was conducted into one purposively selected peasant

associations (Kebeles), (Wasgabata kebele ) that the researchers

believed it is appropriate to the main objectives of the study

with more than 75 young community members were either migrated to

or faild to enter in to the RSA and where about 23 migrants were

died as the result of migration to the destiny

20

2:2 METHODOLOGY AND THE RESEARCH PROCESSES

2:2:1 METHODOLOGY

Before promptly deliberating the specific methods and techniques

that were used in generating useful data in this research, it

needs to discuss and overview some major methodological

discourses and make clear what kind of the research approach we

preferred to conduct i.e. whether qualitative or quantitative or

mixed. Because, as Dawson C. (2007) stated ‘methodology and

method are different in research that the former is the

philosophy (approach) whiles the latter is the tool of gathering

data’.

With their respective merits and demerits there are qualitative

and quantitative research approaches. Dawson C.(Ibid) has

comparatively defined the two approaches in such a way that

‘qualitative research explores attitudes, behavior and

experiences through such methods as interview, observation and

focus group discussion. It attempts to get an in-depth opinion

from participants. As it is attitude, behavior and experiences

which are important fewer people take part in the research, but

the contact with the people tend to last a longer.’ Based on this

definition we can see that qualitative approach is advantageous

in terms its quality in digging out facts from primary sources

21

about human experiences, behavior and attitudes which are

difficult to dig out in the same level empirically or

quantitatively. Other merits of the approach are its small size

study population and its in-depth understanding of the cases.

While in terms its demerits this approach needs prolonged time

duration and needs intensive investigation of the group’s life

under study in to which the researcher needs to be its part. On

the other hand, Dawson C. also defined quantitative research

approach as ‘that generates statistical data through the use of

large-scale survey research using methods such as questionnaires

or structured interview. It researches many more people, but

contact with those people is much quicker than it is in

qualitative research’ (2007). According to this definition this

approach needs more people size to study large-scale societies

and it is more objective which can be considered as its merits.

Its disadvantages include its resource consuming nature and being

not in-depth in to which the observation takes place based only

on the value and meaning of the observer where the observed plays

passive role. Finally Dawson concluded that ‘neither (of the two)

is better than the other, they are just different and both have

their strength and weakness’.

Hence, in the light of this methodological debates and varieties

this research was mainly inclined to the qualitative research

approach to generate basic facts from primary sources. This

inclination of the research methodology can be justified with

three fundamental reasons. The first is related to the content of

22

our inquiry that is studying the socio-economic impacts of

outmigration of the young economic migrants upon thr society of

origin in the study area. Then, our basic variable, “culture

refers to the learned, socially acquired traditions of thought

and behavior found in human societies. It is socially acquired

life style that includes patterned, repetitive ways of thinking,

feeling and acting”. (Harris M. et al) Accordingly, this directly

requires the in-depth investigation on the behavior, experiences,

thought and belief the group studied towards the problem. Hence,

these variables, we thought, exactly fit to the merits of the

qualitative research methodology. The second reason is the

concern of our specific research questions. The research

questions examined in this study were those mainly inquiring the

question how the culture and social organization of the people in

the study area affected by the outmigration of its young

members, but not to what degree or level which is quantifiable.

The final reason behind the selection of qualitative approach is

that the research was conducted in relatively small sized and

homogeneous social group which is precisely compatible to the

method.

However, with the limited degree the research was also utilized

quantitative method of research. This was specifically to deal

with secondary data from concerned offices and institutions to

investigate the current prevalence and situation of the problem

studied in the study woreda as well as the level of actual

efforts to alleviate the problem ( if any).

23

In general, the research methodology should be conceived as the

mixed approach with limitation that mainly based on the

qualitative research method. This helped the researcher to

triangulate the facts discovered from each methodology which

increased the validity of the findings.

2:2:2 Methods of Data Gathering

To address all the research question properly and inconformity to

the types of data required to the study, the researcher had made

fieldworks in two phases, the firs during May and the second

during June 2013. In the course of both fieldworks variety of

qualitative data generating methods, such as observations,

interviews and focus group discussions, were utilized to the

level of attaining in-depth understanding of the meanings,

values, norms, behavior, experiences, social status and the

livelihood of the people studied in relation to the effects of

young economic migration on the overall aspects of the society.

In what follows, the types of methods (tools) used in data

collection the types of information acquired in each specific

method will be presented.

2:2:2:1 Interviews

During both sessions of fieldworks variety of interviews have

been made as one of the main methods of data gathering for

understanding peoples knowledge, belief, experience, opinion,

24

values and meaning they have towards outmigration of the young

members to the RSA in the study community. Because interviews

are particularly well suited to collect in-depth qualitative data

about the individual’s and group definition, belief, feeling and

practice regarding the problem. Accordingly, based on the

interview schedule (Appendix 1), numbers of interviews have been

made with the informants selected with the snowball purposive

sampling techniques either individually or in a group in fair and

equal frequency as well as distribution in both study sites. The

processes of interviewing were facilitated either by the

researchers or by trained enumerators. The participants both in

the individuals and in group interviews were selected based on

variety of variables related with the objectives and basic

questions of the research which includes the house heads from

both migrant and non-migrant sending families, the returnee

individuals from the RSA, young students (from grade 8), the

local officials of the study kebele, knowledgeable individuals as

key informants were among others.

Individuals Interviews

Many individual interviews were conducted with the people assumed

to be relevant to the study who were selected because of their

important status, knowledge and role in relation to the inquiry

25

of the study, by the virtue of which they were selected to be key

informants. These include:-

Elderly people: From study site two elderly and knowledgeable

persons (from both sexes) were interviewed as the key informants

to long and repeated interviews that managed under multiple

visits. With the discussions made with the informants many

important issue were held regarding the community’s cultural

(emic) belief, definition, knowledge, value, and norms towards

migration in general and migration to RSA in particular. Also, we

were discussed about the possible changes on the social structure

and organization. There were also in-depth discussions regarding

marriage patterns (polygamy or monogamy), economic and cultural

changes occurred due to outmigration of the young members of the

study society.

2:2:2:2. Focus Group Discussions (FGD)

In the course of the two fieldworks five focus group discussions

were accommodated. The main groups with which the discussions run

were the migrant sending household heads, non-migrant family

heads, young students (all from 8 grade in the primary school of

the kebele), the local kebele officials, the returnees from the

RSA (both successful and not). Each of these FGD’s was discussed

on separate issues that specifically concern the group from the

topics in the interview schedule as it is summarized in the

appendix 1. (See Appendix 1)

2:2:2:3. Observation

26

Observation is the very effective way of finding out what

happened in practical contexts, the routines and interaction

patterns of the every day’s lives with in the communities we

studied. It can provide the understanding of what is happening

within a family or the community in actual practice and behavior.

Obviously the people who know that they are being observed may

alter their behavior or practice in all sorts of ways. To

minimize such disappointment in our investigation, both

researchers were created rapport with the families and groups

observed, this was partially because all observations were

conducted during the second phase of the fieldwork for which the

first created a friendly context. And it is partially because one

of our enumerators was native for the study area. Also our

interviews conducted earlier have given us opportunity to find

out what and where to be observed in the observations held

latter.

In both study areas we accomplished frequent observations on

families’ day-to-day life experiences in variety of contexts such

as in daily meal serving occasions within families, household

labour activities both in and outside of the houses, the

workloads and responsibilities of each member of the study

households

2:2:2:4 Secondary Sources

In order to attain the research demand to depict the contemporary

recurrence, distribution, and prevalence of the problem of

27

outmigration in the study area, we attempted to find out and

investigate unpublished reports, records and other archival

documents from Misha woreda finance and economic development

office in to which the woreda population department was its part.

To portray the existing efforts of the government on the problem

of outmigration and human trafficking in the area, we utilized

unpublished records and reports from the woreda administration

office..

Much effort was also made to look through the published census

reports from the Central Statistical Authority (of Ethiopia) to

find out data about the demographic characteristics of the

society studied. However, we attempted to check the reliability

of the data gathered from the secondary sources before directly

using them as evidence. In doing so, we cross-checked the data

with what we observed during our fieldworks.

2:2:3 Methods of Data Analysis and Presentation

Based on the qualitative data gathered through variety of

methods, data analysis and presentation were carried out in such

a way that let the researcher to properly address the research

questions posed in relation to the socieo-economic impacts of

migration of the young Hadiyas to the RSA on the society of the

origin where the research have been conducted i.e. this was the

central theme of the study to investigate the problem in its

holistic structure.

28

Because of the qualitative nature of the research, individual

interviews and FGD’s were tap recorded which were transcribed

just a little while after the end of each sessions in the field

and from which findings were also categorized under different

codes. These codes and categories were focused some relevant

points such as cultural practices, culturally defined roles and

status, life styles, the traditional beliefs and social contexts,

marriage and social organization were among the others. Based on

these codes and focus areas, the findings were interpreted,

described and presented from both the emic and ethic points of

views.

Observations conducted repeatedly were recorded in our field

notes daily on the study area. This method was important and

competent because beyond recording facts it was helpful to

understand and remind the meanings and feelings of the group

which were critical to interpretation and describing.

In general, in the research processes the data analysis were on-

going processes which took place simultaneously throughout the

data gathering processes in to which the researcher thought and

discussed with others upon the emerging issues that some time

caused changes on the preexisting methods and inquiries. In this

way at the end of data gathering all data were described,

interpreted and presented for the final assembly.

29

CHAPTER III

3. Review of the related Literatures

For study purpose of this study, the review of literature

consists two main sections that the first deals with the basic

concepts related with the objectives of the research. The second

presents already studied findings on the related issues in the

Ethiopian context.

3:1 Basic concepts of the Study

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another that

evolved since the time of homo-sapiens when members of species

have migrated in search of food and escaped from disaster or

conflicts. In its modern conception, it is the movement of people

from one geographical setting to another, particularly with the

intention of making permanent settlement where they believe they

could get better and improved life than they have been

previously.

30

Smuggling is the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or

indirectly, a financial or other material benefits, of the

illegal entry of a person into a state party of which the person

is not a national or a permanent resident (Art.3/a, UN Protocol

Against the Smuggling of Migrants 2006)

Irregular migrant is someone who, owing to illegal entry or

expiry of his/her visa, lacks legal status in a transit or host

country. The term applies to a migrant who infringe a country’s

admission rules and any other person not authorized to remain in

the host country. (IOM Glossary on Migration.op.cit)

Irregular Migration is movement that takes place outside the

regular norms of the sending, transit and receiving countries.

From the perspectives of destination countries, irregular

migration is illegal entry, stay or work in a country, meaning

that the migrant does not have the necessary authorization or

documents required. From the perspectives of the source country,

the irregularity is seen, in cases the person crosses an

international boundary without a valid passport or travel

document or does not fulfill the administrative requirements for

living the couontry (IOM Glossary on Migration.op.cit).

Sociocultural system is a universal attribute of all cultures and

societies that consists the people, their means of subsistence,

social and political stratifications, the language, social values

and norms, religions and economies of a given society. Since the

dynamic nature of the two components of the system, sociocultural

31

system is always under perpetual flux and change when the society

made contact with other society and when innovations introduced

through time and space. (Keesing R.M1976)

Remittance is the money or in-kind send back to the family, the

relatives and other parties who are in the country of the

migrants’ origin to improve the life, increase diversification of

income and assist development there. (Molssey et al 2002)

Push factors are those factors leading a person of a given social

and cultural identity to leave his/her native society where

she/he claimed as the source of identity. These are factors why

an individual migrant leaves his country of the origin. (Ibid)

Pulling factors are those factors attracting a migrant to leave

his/her country of origin that comes from the country of the

destination where the migrant planed to immigrant. These include

economic, political and social opportunities in the country of

destination.

3:2 Factors of International Migration

There are both pushing and pulling factors that cause migration

of the people from one place of their origin to another place of

the destination. These factors are motivating vast sectors of the

population to consider migration in order to improve their lives

and diversify their sources of income i.e. the search to new

option to improve the quality of life.

32

According to FAO estimate, agriculture is the only source of

income for close to 70 percent of the world’s rural population,

of which a great part is made up of rural small farmers. As the

result, there are varieties of factors that are pushing and

pulling the rural people to migrate out of their social and

cultural areas. These factors can be categorized in to pulling

and pushing factors.

3:2:1 Pushing Factors of Migration

These include:

-. The over decreasing level of standard of life in the rural

areas of the developing countries, according to UNDP (2010)

document, the poorest 40% of the world population (i.e. 2.5

billion) are those who live on less than 2 dollars per day, that

accounts only 5 % of the world income. While the richest, 10 %,

most of them living in the developed countries, account for 54%

of the world income. Hence, the biggest losers have been the most

vulnerable and disadvantaged groups of people are rural women and

men. Three out of four people in the developing countries live in

the rural areas and most depending of the agricultural and

related activities for their livelihoods where in most cases the

land lost its fertility. (Baver 1995).

- Lack of accesses for fundamental assets, productive services

and agricultural imputes such as land, water, credit, extensions

and technological innovations; has prevented small holder in the

33

developing countries from developing and increasing their

capitals.

-With the liberalization of markets and commodities prices, small

farmers from developing countries have not only seen themselves

forced to compete with the import from highly productive and

subsidized agricultural sectors but have also faced with the

instability in the price of imported products.

- The increasing rates of unemployment of the rural young who

have no land to farm because of the rapid population growth.

Hence these conditions aggravated inequality increased poverty

levels and put the security at risk.

With these situations agriculture and the rural sectors offer

limited options to satisfy the needs of the rural population and

provide them with the opportunity to improve their quality of

life. Then the remaining option is migration to unknown destiny.

2:2:2 Pulling Factors

There are some factors attracting the rural economic migrants

from their societies of origins in the developing countries.

These include:-

- The western demographic pattern that stimulating increased

demand for local labour which created potential labour

market for people from developing countries.

- Effective and efficient transportation communication is

reducing distance between countries, while their cost is

34

declining. The cell phone, e-mail and fax facilitate the

movement to the destinations.

- The first migrants facilitated the migration of their

relatives and friends, who in turn help other potential

migrants. Thus the growing migration network reduces the

transaction and risk of displacement.

- Successful migrants also provide the potential migrants with

resources and support that include information on the

procedures, financial help, job prospects, administrative

assistances, access to services and emotional solidarity.

- The availability of both legal and illegal agencies to

identify the routes, job opportunities and financial

sources.

3:3 Impacts 0f Migration and Remittances on the rural Societies of Origin

Losses of Human Resources

Mass migration results loss of human resources for rural migrant

sending areas. But the impacts of migration on labor resources

depend on multiple factors one has to investigate. These include:

type and patterns of migration (seasonal, circular or permanent,

household structure and family size, migrant characteristics,

demographic patterns and population density and condition of

agricultural system.

In some areas remittances can provide a way to complete for labor

loss, in others the quantity sent may not enough to over the gap,

35

permanent outmigration can deprive rural areas of critical labor

during farming seasons.(Tacoli 2002)

Migration of one or more family members also has important

consequences in terms of labor allocation and division of labor

within the households. The absence of young able bodied man in

the household may lead to a labor gap and forcing women children

and aged people to work longer and harder in the family’s field.

Impacts of Remittance on Agriculture

Different study showed that the impact of remittance on

agriculture is mixed and highly depends on the socio cultural

contexts. In some cases, migration and remittance foster

household farm investments and agricultural production. While in

others, the opposite is true.

1. Labor availability for farm and non farm production may

decreases when the family members migrate, particularly if the

family is unable to recognize family labor endowment or lack the

necessary means to hire additional labor (Lucas 2006). And this

situation will be changed when the remittance starts arriving.

2. In some cases, remittance can compensate for the negative

impacts of out migrating by allowing hired labor to replace the

lost agriculture labor force.

3. In other cases remittances may reduce agricultural labor and

production by increasing non-agricultural activities and limiting

36

people’s willingness to take on law-paid and laborious

agricultural activities.

4. Remittance receiving households may choose to spend their

income or increased consumption, investing in housing, education

and health as well as entrepreneurial non-farm activities. Thus

this might have negative effects on the agricultural production.

That may create burdens for non-receiving families. Hence, if

new incomes are invented on agricultural and non agricultural

productions, effects may be positive for both agricultural

production and rural employment.

In its general sense, taken as a whole, international migration

and remittance have beneficial influences on rural well-being and

agricultural production. This generation might be sound from view

of points of the remittance receiving rural households and to the

national effects. When it is seen from non-receiving families’

points of view it creates burdens.

Many rural inhabitants migrate because they had already

experienced agriculture as low profit, risk activities, avoided

by public and private sectors.

Remittances, poverty alleviation and inequality in rural areas

Most of studies amended that remittances has positive impacts in

reducing poverty. Remittances are important and stable sources of

income for many households in developing countries. Especially in

the rural households, they help reduce monitory restrictions,

37

smooth consumption and overcome difficulties in periods of

crisis.

Household survey from developing countries was used to arrive at

the conclusion that international migration and remittances

reduce both the level international migration and remittances

reduce both level and depth of poverty. It was calculated that a

10% increase in per capita official migration in developing

countries led to a 3.5 % decline in percentage of people living

on less than a dollar a day in that country (Adams 2006).

Nevertheless, studies carried out in different rural contexts

indicated that international migration remittances increased

inequality among the house holds. Examining the next effects of

migration and remittances on income distribution in Ghana, a

study concluded that remittances increased income inequality

(Barham,1998) this shows that the non-migrant families are

suffering from the challenges of market disturbances and price

increments on basic goods without receiving any additional income

. Because the flow of remittances may causes on increment in

land, goods and service prices as a result of migrant families

investing on it and consume more than before. The people from low

socioeconomic levels, who have no ability to migrate became

victims of the market and become more and more vulnerable to

insecurity.

38

CHAPTER IV

4. RESULT and DISCUSSION

This part dealt with analysis of the findings which are

presented, interpreted and described qualitatively as it was

stated in the methodological part of the research. It consisted

different parts entitled based on the basic questions and

objectives of the study in accord to the data gathered through

variety of sources and methods.

4:1. Why the Outmigration of Hadiya Young to the RSA

“… Nobody supports me to generate local business from all my family

members unless I decided to migrate to the Debub (RSA)” Discussant in the

FGD

The respondents of all sources were agreed upon some points when

they were asked “why the outmigration of young Hadiyas became critical to such

extent of intensity?” For this and some other similar basic inquiries

39

of the research there were number of possible pushing and pulling

factors

4:1:1. Pushing Factors

Push factors in migration processes are those reasons for

individuals wanting to leave their homeland. Based on this,

majority of the respondents (specially young and returnees

claimed that they are interested to and had left their land for

the reasons like unemployment, lack of arable land and ‘nearly’

absence of opportunities in home where poverty had flourished.

One of the returnee, in the FGD, confirmed that ‘the portion of land,

which his family actually possesses, is very small and even not enough to the family

itself. And even though he had completed 12 grade ten years before his departure to

the RSA, he had been unable to get jobs or other opportunities.’ Then he claimed

to seek for’ the green light’ elsewhere ( dabbuba locally to say

South). Also another respondent had reasoned out the ‘sharp’ rise

in the prices of commodities, including chemical fertilizers had

made agricultural family very difficult to survive its members as

the sustained rural household.

Therefore, unemployment, lack of opportunities, shortage of

arable land, population growth, ever increasing commodity price

and their resultant effect- poverty were found to be the push

factors for the out migration of the young Hadiyas from their

rural origin

Additional push factor for the rural Young Hadiyas, according to

the most of the respondents, are culturally and traditionally

40

constructed expectations the family members about the role of

their respective son(s) that he ought to supply the family with

the financial supports by making, at least internal and at most

external migration (preferably to RSA). Accordingly, most of my

young informants unanimously responded that a young son (S), in

the rural households of the Hadiya community, is expected to

cover (to the minimum) the family’s costs such as for ‘meskel’

festival, annual land revenue, debts of chemical fertilizers

among others. Hence, to fulfill such and some other traditionally

constructed roles, young sons of the rural Hadiya society usually

made migration decisions. Therefore, culturally and traditionally

defined role of the young household members in the Hadiya society

found to be one of the pushing factors for their migration to the

RSA.

At this specific point it is important to mention a story that

one of the young discussant shared with us:-

“Usually early in the morning there is a coffee ceremony in every household before

which the house’s mother prays for the members’ blessings………. During such payer

there is statement which is usually stated for the son(s) specifically that says ‘ Waa’a kin

dabbub gog owwonna’ which is to say ‘ may God gives you the chance to go to RSA’ “

Hence migration, specifically to the RSA, for the Hadiya society

is not an option, but it is a dreamland which every parents

wishes for his/her son. As the result, the culturally and

traditionally constructed belief and value towards migration of

41

young family members found to be motivational factor for the out

migration to the RSA.

According to one of the young discussants in the FGD, ‘ no

potential household head could be willing to afford economic

(money) support for a son who may claim to open local business

like trade, but every family and even the clan contributes when

the boy claimed for the irregular migration that might costs

life.

Besides all these motivational local factors the government

policy towards illegal migration had also found to contribute for

the rapid growth of the problem this is because there had been

little efforts to stop the flow of human trafficking both locally

and nationally. According to the informants, even the local

administrative officials were found to take part on the processes

of human trafficking. Therefore, the absence of strong government

action and policy against human trafficking (both in local and

national levels) had contributed for the out flow of the young

Hadiyas to the RSA through illegal migration route

4:1:2 Pulling Factors

There are number of factures which attracted the Hadiya young

migrants from without which pulled out them to get out of their

country of origin even through dangerous route of smugglers.

According to the majority of discussants, in the FGD made with

the returnees, even the RSA was conceived as the major attractive

42

destiny of their determination, they had the final objectives to

transit to some western countries such as USA, Australia and

Europe. That entry to the RSA believed to be easier than the

western for the availability of forgery and visa fraud in the

RSA. The wish to enter in to South Africa had dual perspectives

of accumulation of wealth and a transit destiny for most of

migrants and potential migrants.

The flow of information about the life, expectation, economic

benefits and immigration policy of the host country which is

communicated between already immigrants in RSA and the potential

migrants at home had also attracted the young Hadiyas to make

decision on their migration to the destiny. Because, once someone

from the family or the neighborhood has entered in to the RSA,

has a chance to claim asylum or even to work without permit.

Therefore, continuous flow of information between the migrants in

the destiny and the potential migrant in the origin as well as

the liberal migration policy of the host country have contributed

for the outflow of the young Hadiya migrants from their society

of origin.

Another attracting factor for the ever growing migrants of the

young Hadiya society was the effects of economic and social

remittances which manifested on the changing life style of the

migrants’ families (and even kin members) compared with their

non-migrant counterparts. That is, those families with one or

more successful migrant members in RSA have enjoying positive

43

progress in their social and economic standards while the do

not’s were suffering from the ever growing and rapid market

inflation in the area. As the result, either migrant’s families

and/or successful returnees became the role models about the

benefits and opportunities of migrating and working in RSA with

paying what so ever risk including death because of irregular

migration and smuggling. Accordingly, the effects of social and

economic remittance which have manifested on the overall life of

the migrant sending households and successful returnees found

accelerating the outmigration in the study society.

Still another surprising pulling factor, according to the key

informants, found to be the kinship amalgamation for the support

and contribution of the migration cost of the potential migrant

who is the member of the given patriarchal kin group (i.e. the

father’s lineage). That is, if one young member of a family

planned to migrate to RSA, the concern shouldn’t be his family

only, but it should be that of the entire members of his kin

group. The financial burden is not only the problem of his own

family, but it is the sharable responsibility of his patriarchal

lineage members i.e. every household that belonged to his father

lineage needed to contribute its share for the total cost of the

voyage (currently the cost reached about 120,000 ETB). Hence, the

tradition of sharing the cost of migration per individual in the

present Hadiya society by the kin group had made easy to make

decision on young migration which indirectly had contributed for

the rapid growth of outmigration in the study area.

44

Finally, the availability of the financial support for the

irregular migration from the diasporas who already in another

country made the outmigration very easy for those who have

relatives or friend either in RSA or elsewhere. According to my

key informants many Ethiopian and Kenyan smugglers are paid by

members of diasporas who finance their friends or relative

movement to RSA. This shows that the financial supports of the

diasporas had contributed for the rapid growth of the out

migration of the young Hadiyas to the RSA. Hence, migration accelerates

the potential migration.

In general, both the stated pushing and pulling factors had found

critically contributed for the ever growing outflow of young

Hadiya migrants to the republic of South Africa which accelerated

from time to time , relatively, within decade and half since

1990’s

4:2 Socio-Cultural Impacts of Migration on the society of Origin

Outmigration in general and outmigration of the young members of

a given society could possibly exert great deal of impacts upon

the society of origin either positively or negatively. In this

section the research focused on investigating such issues as

social and cultural impacts of the problem on the study area.

The research finding depicted that the out migration of young

members of the society, in most cases from 22-35 years of age,

had had profound social effects on the community investigated.

45

This can be categorized in to Educational, Health, and social

organizational spheres.

4:2:1 Education and Training

“Now-a-days our students have had interest only for English lessons simply

because they thought that it helps them when they migrate to the RSA (dbuba)”

According to the key informants and the discussion made with

the young students in the FGD, there are number of positive

effects of the remittances from the migrants in the RSA

which opens opportunities for their respective family

members and friends to join private colleges and trainings

by covering costs of tuition, meals, house rents, clothes

and some other expenses. One of the discussants in the FGD

with the returnees had confirmed that ‘ during his five

years of stay in RSA he had had covered all expenses of his

two sisters to accomplish the nursing diploma program in the

Tropical College of Medicine, which is one of the private

college in Hossana’. Therefore, creation of opportunities

for such and other types of professionals found to have long

lasting benefits both for the community at large and the

individuals especially from the migrants’ households.

Accordingly, migration and its flow of remittance directly

benefited the society by providing young professionals of

different sectors and created job opportunities for those

beneficiaries through financing educational careers.

However, outmigration of the young members of the study

community had also created critical challenges on the school

46

system and on the attitudes of the community about the value

of education in general. According to the discussion (FGD)

conducted with the teachers of the Wasgabata Primary School

(including the principals) the challenges of outmigration on

the education have manifested on the increase in class drop-

outs of the young students especially from grade 7 and 8,

students’ loose of confidence on the educational merits,

lack of attention for classes (increase in absences) were

among others. Surprisingly one of the discussant teachers

said that ‘now-a-days our students have had interest only for English

lessons simply because they thought that it helps them when they migrate to the

RSA (dbuba)’. Hence, even migration benefited the society by

creating opportunities of professionalism; it had found

exerting critical challenges on the educational system and

on the attitudes of the community towards the merits and

values of education in the study area.

4:2:2. Health

‘Apartheid of health care accesses’

The impacts of outmigration of young members of the society

on the health system and care of the society had two

directional effects from the point of view of the migrant

sending households and of the non-migrant families.

On the one hand, the families those sent one or more

successful migrants to the RSA, according to the key

informants and the family members, were enjoying well

defined accesses for the available private health

47

institutions during any time of necessity such as pregnancy

follow-up, medical treatment and child care services.

‘Thanks for the flow of remittances, the key informant

insisted, those migrant sending families have an opportunity

to care their health with relatively expensive private

health centers’. From this it was found that the remittances

from the destiny had had great contribution for the

improvement of health care situation for the migrant sending

households.

On the contrary, for the non-migrant households the

condition had created critical challenges on their access

for ever increasing cost of private health services in the

light of the weak accommodations provided by government

health institutions. Because, remittance receiving families,

which are relatively well-to-do in the community, do not

have care to pay whatever asked to pay in the ever

increasing price by private health centers which indirectly

had made the non-migrant families outside the market.

Therefore, outmigration and the flow of remittances for the

migrant sending families improved the accesses for health

care for those households while negatively affected the

majority non-migrant families by ever increasing the coast

of the private health services which is far better than that

of the government owned health centers. One of the returnee,

in the FGD, expressed this condition as ‘apartheid of health care

accesses’

48

4:2: 3. Social Organization

As it was mentioned above, the Hadiya society, like most of

the Ethiopian societies, is highly patriarchal society,

where the family line strongly follows the father’s lineage.

For most social occasions and responsibilities it is the

father’s line that shoulders the task and rights as well. As

it is stated somewhere above, the duty of making migration

decision and sending a son from one household is not the

only right and responsibility of that individual family, but

it that of the whole kin group (locally: mollo’o) of the

mostly the father and also the mother (rare case). That is,

according to my key informants, the decision about which son

to go, the money needed to the irregular migration, the

ceremony of departure and some other processes rest upon the

shoulder of the group. As the result of this, the successful

migrant has an obligation to sponsor another son from

another family of the kin group and to send remittances for

the group’s expenses for the traditional festival known as

‘meskela’a’. Hence, migration of the young Hadiya society had

contributed to strengthen the social bond among the kin

groups and even between the clans by providing the chances

to cope with social challenges with strong affiliation.

Surprisingly, migration and its remittances have found had

certain changes on the marriage system of the study

community. Like most of Ethiopian communities, in the Hadiya

49

society marriage affairs were taking place either through

the consent made between the two families or between the

bride and bridegroom. For such amalgamation there had been

social, economic and lineage criteria constructed by the

community like economic and social status of the two

families, the ethnic lines and the interests of the couples

among others. According to my key informants, ‘in the

current Hdiya community the preferable person or family to

make marriage alignment became a person or a family whose

member had successful migrant to the RSA. Another negative

consequence of migration in the study area was the increase

of divorce within the migrant sending households. This was

mainly because, the prolonged stay of the migrant (either

the wife or the husband) abroad for years, conflict on the

share of remittances and the emergence of conflicts between

the two families of husband and wife in the origin. In the

study society, out of the total 49 male migrants to RSA 17

(34.69%) were married before their departure. However, due

to variety of reasons, out of these 17 families 9 couples

(52.9%) already had made divorce. From this we can conclude

that, migration of the young and the remittance that flow

had had contributed to the shift from the traditional

marriage system of the community and aggravated the

frequency of family divorce within the origin.

Therefore, the outmigration of the young Hadiyas to the RSA

and the flow of huge remittances from had improved certain

50

social aspects of the society of origin. However, the

condition also exerted some social impacts on the social

organization of the society by creating gaps between the

migrants and non-migrants households and by increasing the

frequency of divorce among the migrant’s families.

4:3. The Economic Impacts of Outmigration on the Society of Origin

Most remittances go directly to the family level for the

household budget and usually used for the basic subsistence

needs and better housing. They contribute to the family

welfare and higher standard of living. Also beyond the

recipient families, the remittances had also contributed for

the economic benefits of the community of the origin.

4:3:1. The Economic Effects of Remittances at the Migrants’

Households

According to the discussants and key informants, the

remittances for migrants sending families had raised the

level of children’s education and most of the recipient

families were sending their children to Hossana in need of

getting relatively better schools compared to the schools in

the study kebele. Therefore, migration and its remittances

had found to increase both the level and standard of

children’s education which is a key factor in the future

human capital development.

Based on the interviews made with the different

stakeholders, the remittances send for the recipient

families and also the huge money imported with the

51

successful returnees, had had prominent contribution for the

ever growing capital assets in the study community. That,

out of the total 49 migrants to the RSA, only 7 (14.28%)

were returned back to home with successful economic gains,

out of which three of them (42%0 had built houses in

Hossana, bought transport buses, opened businesses and

modernized agricultural farms and the remaining four (57%)

have built houses in Hossana and opened business there.

Hence migration of the young Hadiyas to RSA had profound

contributions to the flow of huge remittances that directly

subsidized the accumulation of assets for the rapid growth

of investment at home both at macro and micro levels which

effects new job opportunities both in the rural and urban

centers.

In general, increased expenditure on the food and housing,

and rising level of living standards, combined with the

better access for health and hygiene, usually lead to the

improved productivity and development of human capital.

Another negative economic effect of outmigration of the

young members of the house hold was the shortage of family

agricultural labour which had also indirect effect on the

community at large by increasing the price of hired labour.

Therefore, outmigration of the young members of the

households, in the study community, had found contributed

for the drainage of the agricultural working force which was

resulted with the rise on the labour market price that, in

52

turn, became the challenge of both the migrant and non-

migrant families.

4:3:2 The Challenges of the Non-migrant Households Due to

Remittances

According to the data gathered from the key informants and

the discussions held with non-migrant family members, there

was multi- dimensional challenges confronting those

households who did not sending any migrant to the RSA or

elsewhere.

The family which was able to send migrant (S) is relatively

‘well- to- do’ to cover the expenses of the irregular

migration. The non-migrant family, on the other hand, mostly

is from the poorest groups. Then, with one sided remittance

flow for the migrant sending families, the gap between the

two families became very wider than ever before which also

widened the gap on the social statuses of the two

households. That is , the poor is getting more and more poor

while the rich family became more richer within the study

community. Therefore, outmigration of the young Hadiyas had

contributed for the widening of the economic hierarchy

between the migrant sending and non-migrant households which

exerts challenges for the later in the light of the ever

increasing market price.

The economic challenges on the non-migrant sending families

had also another dimension, according to the key informants,

that both migrant and non-migrant sending families are

53

interacting and exposed to the same market system where

every commodity had facing critical increment on its price.

Then the pressure of the market felt by the two groups of

families quite different that while the former has little to

feel the later suffers from insecurity. Hence, outmigration

and the flow of huge remittances for the migrant sending

families contributed for the rapid rise in price of

commodities and services which had created critical

challenges for the non-migrants households. In this

connection, one of my key informant insisted that, ‘ about

1990’s a 500 m square of land in Hosanna town costs about

4500-5000 ETB, but now-a-days the same plot of land costs

500,000-750,000 ETB’ and the same ratio works for other

commodities and services in the study communities.’

Another burden of the non-migrants society was the rise in

the price of human agricultural labour which aggravated due

to the drainage of the young working forces to the RSA and

money inflation due to the flow of remittances for the

migrant’s households who were able to pay whatever it costs.

According to the key informants, for instance, the cost of

the daily agricultural laborers per a day in 1990’s was

about 7 to 8 birr but it is about 25-30 birr now-a-days.

Hence, the out migration of the working young people to the

RSA and the flow of the remittances from the destiny had

created the rise on the cost of agricultural heard labour

which became the challenge of the non-migrant households of

54

the rural community and which indirectly exerted the high

rate of rise on the market price on the agricultural

commodities

In general, the out migration of the young Hadiyas to the

RSA directly exerted critical challenges on the non-migrant

families of the rural community of the study by getting them

out of the market competition effected with the flow huge

remittances for the migrant sending households where both

families are sharing the same market system.

4:4. The Misfortunes of the young Migrants to the RSA

The out migration of the young Hadiyas was not always

completed with safe and successful arrival to the country of

the intended destiny, because almost all migration processes

were taking place through the irregular migration routes. As

the result, according to my key informants and the

returnees, there have been human casualties and failure of

reaching to the destiny frequently in the study community.

4:4:1. Human Casualties of the Human Trafficking

According to the FGD held with the returnees there have been

grave abuses of smuggled migrants by variety of people

involved in their passages to RSA. Due to such abuses many

young migrants were victims of death before arriving the

destiny. There are multiple reasons of the situation such as

diseases like malaria, the harsh way of transportation like

travelling within containers in the very hot climate, lack

of food and water supply, the ever increasing demands of the

55

smugglers for additional money of trafficking, imprisonment

in the transit countries like Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and

Botswana; and bitten by dangerous wild animals when they

were crossing borders illegally.

One of the kebele officials, in the discussion, stated that

from the start of young migration to RSA about 23 dead

bodies had been returned to the community from different

families and even two of them were from the same household.

Also one of the Hadiya Zone administration officials has

said that, ‘ it was usual to receive two or three dead

bodies of the migrants of RSA per a week on average at the

zonal level’. Therefore, the human casualty of the young

migrants to the RSA became one of the critical problems of

the society which had been aggravated due to illegal

migration and human trafficking that usually taking place

through dangerous routes.

4:4:2 Unsuccessful Migration and Its Impacts at Home

Successes in economic migration would be accomplished on the

arrival of the country of destiny and getting the intended

ambition at the beginning at home. As it was mentioned above

and discussed with different informants, the failure in

migration had dual negative effects when the unsuccessful

migrant had returned to the community of origin.

On the one hand, according to the key informants, when the

migrant departed to migrant he had pended lots of money for

the illegal migration processes like getting passport, for

56

smugglers and transportation among others, which might costs

about 100,000 to 120, 000 Birr. This huge amount of

expenditure had also been contributed from the entire kin

group members with the ‘hope of getting it back’. Therefore,

failure in migration had found to be not only the economic

problem of the households of sending that migrant but also

the critical economic failure of the kin group’s households.

That is social and economic crisis. And out migration of the

young Hadiya society indirectly affected the economic crisis

of those families whose migrant member was failed to arrive

at the destiny and returned back to home.

On the other hand, according to the key informants, the

failure on migration resulted with degraded social values

given for the returnees. That, if an individual migrant

Failed to reach to RSA after spending lots of money for the

process, then the society conceived him/ her as

irresponsible and unable to accomplish the duty that ought

to belong for a moral person. Hence failure in migration and

returning back had had negative social and psychological

impacts up on the returnees which indirectly influenced the

future life of the returnees

57

CHAPTER V

5. CONCLUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5:1 CONCLUSSION

This chapter is the concluding part of the research. As it was

intended at the very start of the study, the socio-economic

impacts of outmigration of economic young migrants to the RSA had

been treated objectively based on the facts collected from

58

various sources. Therefore, here the major findings of the study

are briefly discussed as follows:

Culturally and traditionally defined role of the young

household members in the Hadiya society found to be one of the

pushing factors for their migration to the RSA.

. As the result, the culturally and traditionally constructed

belief and value towards migration of young family members

found to be motivational factor for the out migration to the

RSA.

Continuous flow of information between the migrants in the

destiny and the potential migrant in the origin as well as the

liberal migration policy of the host country have contributed

for the outflow of the young Hadiya migrants from their

society of origin.

The effects of social and economic remittance which have

manifested on the overall life of the migrant sending

households and successful returnees found accelerating the

outmigration in the study society.

The tradition of sharing the cost of migration per individual

in the present Hadiya society by the kin group had made easy

to make decision on young migration which indirectly had

contributed for the rapid growth of outmigration in the study

area.

The financial supports of the Diasporas had contributed for

the rapid growth of the out migration of the young Hadiyas to

the RSA. Hence, migration accelerates the potential migration.

59

Migration and its flow of remittance directly benefited the

society by providing young professionals of different sectors

and created job opportunities for those beneficiaries through

financing educational careers.

Even migration benefited the society by creating opportunities

of professionalism; it had found exerting critical challenges

on the educational system and on the attitudes of the

community towards the merits and values of education in the

study area.

. It was found that the remittances from the destiny had had

great contribution for the improvement of health care

situation for the migrant sending households.

Migration of the young Hadiya society had contributed to

strengthen the social bond among the kin groups and even

between the clans by providing the chances to cope with social

challenges with strong affiliation.

Migration of the young and the remittance that flow had had

contributed to the shift from the traditional marriage system

of the community and aggravated the frequency of family

divorce within the origin.

Migration of the young Hadiyas to RSA had profound

contributions to the flow of huge remittances that directly

subsidized the accumulation of assets for the rapid growth of

investment at home both at macro and micro levels which

effects new job opportunities both in the rural and urban

centers.

60

Outmigration of the young Hadiyas had contributed for the

widening of the economic hierarchy between the migrant sending

and non-migrant households which exerts challenges for the

later in the light of the ever increasing market price.

Outmigration and its flow of huge remittances for the migrant

sending families contributed for the rapid rise in price of

commodities and services which had created critical challenges

for the non-migrants household

Out migration of the working young people to the RSA and the

flow of the remittances from the destiny had created the rise

on the cost of agricultural heard labour which became the

challenge of the non-migrant households of the rural community

and which indirectly exerted the high rate of rise on the

market price on the agricultural commodities

The human casualty of the young migrants to the RSA became

one of the critical problems of the society which had been

aggravated due to illegal migration and human trafficking that

usually taking place through dangerous routes.

Failure in migration had found to be not only the economic

problem of the households of sending that migrant but also the

critical economic failure of the kin group’s households. That

is social and economic crisis. And out migration of the young

Hadiya society indirectly affected the economic crisis of

those families whose migrant member was failed to arrive at

the destiny and returned back to home.

61

Failure in migration and returning back had had negative

social and psychological impacts up on the returnees which

indirectly influenced the future life of the returnees

In general, the migration of the young Hadiyas to the Republic of

South Africa had found to have tremendous social, economic,

market and human power effects up on the society of origin while

exerting varied level of influences and challenges up on the

migrant sending and non-migrant households of the study

community.

5:2 RECOMMENDATIONS

Migration can have a profound positive effects on both micro and

macro economic development in the household and national levels.

But this contribution of migration and its remittances flow could

be possible when it is managed in accordance to the national and

international legal principles. However, as we have discussed

there are so many negative consequences when migration process

accomplished through illegal manner via the human traffickers

like in the Cases of the society of this particular study.

Accordingly, certain measures needed to be taken with number of

stakeholders which logically deduced from the finding of this

research. These include:-

- Both government and non-government bodies have to work to

expand the opportunity the young population of the study

community to get jobs which may lead them to the sustainable

and independent sources of survival at home environment.

62

This might include the expansion of micro-business

enterprises, access for marketable professional trainings,

supply of improved agricultural technologies and the like

- Providing the skill and knowledge about the investment

planning and development for those individuals returned from

RSA with assets to invest at home which indirectly expands

the job opportunity for the potential young migrants in the

origin.

- Creation of social awareness about the critical challenges

of illegal migration and human trafficking as well as

promoting and working on the creation of legal access for

the regular entry to the RSA which needs to take some sort

of diplomatic measures on the issue

- In order to reduce the critical challenges and burdens on

the non-migrant sending families, both government and NGO’s

efforts have to be made in the study community which helps

them to minimize the problem and cope with it.

- All the stakeholders have to deal with the ever growing

number of cases of divorce which might causes social and

economic challenges on the children of such families and

indirectly affects the well being of the future entire

society which needs social works.

Finally, the researcher recommends that, this research and its

findings have been made based on the very small sized sample

compared with the relatively very wide spread arena of the

problem. Had the case have been dealt with more resources and

63

sample size, it could have been possible to dig out a very broad

scope and objective than this actual study.

References

- Adams, Richard H. 2006. International migration, Remittancesand poverty. World Bank.

Washington DC.

- Barham, B.1998. Migration, Remittances and inequality. Journal of Development Economics. 55, no. 2 (April)

- Baver, S. 1995. Including Migration in development Calculus. Latin American Research

64

Review 30, no. 1- DeSipio, L. 2000. Sending Money Home. University of Southern

California.- Dorothy, Scott. 2002. Qualitative Research in Practice.

Allen & Unwin P. Australia- Douglas, Ezzy. 2002. Qualitative Analysis. Allen & Unwin P.

Australia- Hugo, G. 1998. Migration as Survival Strategy. New York. UN- IOM-Int. 2009, In the Pursuit of the Southern Dream:

Victims of Necessity, Nairobi - Keesing, R. M. 1976. Cultural Anthropology. Holt Rinehart.

Australia- Lukas, R. 2006. Migration and Rural Development. FAO. Rome- Martha B.M 2007, Looking Back at Migration, NTNU,

Trondheim - Massey D. 1999. Understanding Migration. Oxford P. UK- RMMS, 2012, Global Migration Futures/ Oxford P.P- Skeldon R. 2002. Migration and Poverty. London, DFID- Solomon M. 2008 Socio-Economic Baseline Survey of The Hadiya

zone, Children’s Home society, Rohobot P.p - Tacoli C. 2002. Urban-Rural Interaction and Livelihood Strategy.

London, DFID- Taylor J.E. 2006. International Migration and Economic Development.

UN. Secretariat- World Bank 2008. Migration and Remittances Fact book. Washington,

DC. - Yoseph E. 2006, Assessment of Trafficking in Women and

Children In and From Ethiopia, IOM, addis Ababa. - Hdiya Zone Pop. Study Office, 2011. Population study annual report

2010. Unprinted.-

65

Appendix I: Schedule of Research Activities

ACTIVITY DURATION TIMEPreliminary Observation and Literature Review

5 Weeks March 11,2013-April 17 ,2013

Proposal Writing 3 Weeks April 18,2013-May 19,2013

Developing Interview Checklistsand Training of DataCollectors

2/3 Months May 20,2013-August 30,2013

Data Collection 3 Months February 12,2013-Jan11,2013

Data Analysis and Interpretation

5 Weeks Sep 20,2013-Dec. 20,2013

Write- Up, Binding and Submission of the Final Report

3 Weeks January 1,2014- May,2014

66

Appendix II Financial Breakdown

ItemsUnit

MeasurementQuant.

UnitPrice(ETB)

Total

(ETB) REMARK

A4 size Paper Pack 3

120 360  

pen piece 10 7 70

Photo copy pages 1000 0.50 500

Transportation Trip 4*2  150 1200

Enumerator days 2*20 35 1400  

Per diem(Researcher) days 1*30 202 7070

Translator(Informant) Allowance days 1*20 35 700

Video Camera rental days 14  50

700  

Project Total 1200

67

0

68